Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

A Kaul

Publications and source records attributed to A Kaul.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources

[Lead deposits in bone--the roentgen picture as a demonstration method?].

Current concepts concerning the deposition, distribution and radiological demonstration of lead in the skeleton were investigated in five series of rats; some of these were young and others more than a year old. 10 mg of lead acetate/kg body weight were administered over a period of five to 41 days, giving a minimum of 8.4 mg and maximum of 40.4 mg of lead. A comparable control group was given similar amounts of sodium acetate. The distribution and concentration of lead in the femur was determined by the use of 210Pb. Contact autoradiographs showed band-shaped lead accumulation in the endosteal and periosteal growth regions. The degree of darkening depended on the amount of lead administered and permitted a rather coarse quantitative relationship to be drawn. Measurements of radioactivity produced similar distribution patterns. The relationship of lead concentration of epi- and metaphysis to the diaphysis averaged 2:1. The factor mainly responsible for lead deposition depended on the metabolic potential of the tissue, which itself depends largely on the growth regions. Radiologically, there was definite evidence of demineralization in the areas of lead deposition; this could be confirmed histologically by lack of trabeculae, thinning of the cortex and destruction of bone matrix. Despite its much greater absorption co-efficient, the tiny quantities of lead, compared with the bone mass (even in the highest concentrations in our experiments) cannot be detected radiologically. Biophysical calculations have been made which indicate that similar conditions occur in man. Radiological examination of the skeleton, which is used as a screening method for chronic lead poisoning, is not suitable for this purpose.

Absorption↗

Spontaneous hematologic recovery from bone marrow aplasia after accidental tenfold overdosage with radiophosphorus.

Two patients with polycythemia vera received intravenously an accidental tenfold overdosage of radiophosphorus therapy (60 and 50 mCi 32P, respectively). In both patients, the occurrence of hemorrhagic complications 3 wk after the 32P medication led to detection of the error and referral to our hospital. Upon admission they showed an agranulocytosis, severe thrombocytopenia, and bone marrow aplasia. In both cases, spontaneous recovery of the hematopoiesis was observed from day 40 posttreatment onward. In one patient, a slow but ultimately complete normalization of blood counts and marrow morphology took place, whereas in the other, a mild thrombocytopenia persists. Nearly 5 yr after the accidental overdosage, both patients are clinically well. Symptoms of polycythemia vera have not reappeared up to now. Attempts were made to evaluate the radiation dose absorbed by the bone marrow. In the first patient, the daily 32P excretion was determined from day 22 to day 60, whereas in the other patient a whole body count was performed on day 78 after administration. From these results, an approximate cumulative bone marrow dose of 10 Sv (1000 rem) could be calculated.

Aged↗

Recent results of the German Thorotrast study--dose relevant physical and biological properties of Thorotrast equivalent colloids.

As a prerequisite for quantifying the non-radiation effect of Thorotrast, nonradioactive and radioactive aquasols with identical physicochemical properties and with biophysical behavior comparable to that of Thorotrast were developed and produced for a second long-term animal experiment. Comparative investigations with hafnium and zirconium (zirconotrast) dioxide aquasols showed the latter to be most appropriate considering the size of both the dispersoids and the aggregates in the liver tissue. The average particle diameters of ThO2, ZrO2 and HfO2 proved to be values of 9.3 nm, 15 nm and 45 nm, respectively. The size of the aggregates shows a slight dependence on the applied amount but no dependence on the duration of body burden of the colloid. The aggregate diameters in the 600 microliters group turned out to be 9.6 microns, 14.4 microns and 5.3 microns, respectively. Radioactive zirconotrast was prepared by radiochemical incorporation of 230Th and 228Th at dose rates which produce accumulated doses in the liver of rats equivalent to those of commercial 230Th enriched Thorotrast after 1.5 yr. Five different colloids were prepared with alpha-energy emission rates increased by factors of 1, 2.5, 5, 10 and 25 compared to Thorotrast and then injected into rats.

Animals↗

Recent results of the German Thorotrast study--epidemiological results and dose effect relationships in Thorotrast patients.

The German Thorotrast Study includes 5159 Thorotrast patients and 5160 control patients. 887 Thorotrast patients and 660 control patients could be clinically and biophysically examined and followed-up. The mean age at injection or hospitalization in the case of the control group was 28 yr. The mean injected volume of Thorotrast was calculated to be 24.7 ml and the X-ray films of 249 Thorotrast patients showed paravascular deposits. In the meantime 432 Thorotrast patients and 122 patients of the control group have died. Among the deceased patients we have registered (Thorotrast vs control): hepatic tumors 152/0; myeloproliferative diseases 10/0; Hodgkin's diseases 2/0; non-Hodgkin's lymphomas 5/1; bronchogenic carcinomas 13/6; pleural mesothelioma 1/0; bone sarcoma 1/1(?); sarcoma at injection site 1/0; hepatic cirrhosis 90/6; bone marrow failure 8/1; other neoplastic diseases 46/19; other non-neoplastic diseases 151/88. The cumulative incidence of liver tumors depends on the dose rate to liver tissue and is not influenced by the age at injection. A dose effect relationship for the myeloproliferative diseases is not yet apparent.

Adolescent↗

Recent results of the German Thorotrast study--statistical evaluation of animal experiments with regard to the nonradiation effects in human thorotrastosis.

Our first long-term animal experiment made use of 1920 female Wistar rats divided into 20 groups of 96 animals each. These were injected at 12 weeks of age with different volumes and different dosages of Thorotrast which was enriched with 230Th to enhance the alpha-energy emission rate. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effects due to the colloidal substance and the radiation. In the main experiment, 12 groups of rats were injected intravenously with 60, 120 and 300 microliters Thorotrast. 230Th was added to some Thorotrast preparations so that the total alpha-energy emission rate varied by factors of 1, 2, 5 and 10 relative to normal Thorotrast. Two groups were injected with 12 and 60 microliters of 50-fold enriched Thorotrast. One group was given 600 microliters of normal Thorotrast. In addition, we had 5 control groups, 1 NaCl and 4 Dextrin groups. The latter were injected with 60, 120, 300 or 600 microliters of Dextrin. The first animals died 8 months after injection, and the last 11 animals were killed 41 months after starting the experiment. The number of animals that developed a hepatic or splenic tumor increased by a factor of 10 in the highest dose-rate groups compared to controls. Our results demonstrated a linear correlation between the dose-rate and the number of primary hepatic and splenic tumors. It appeared that the volume of injected Thorotrast, by itself, had little influence on the number of tumors. However, at a constant dose-rate of 10, a 50-fold increase in the volume of Thorotrast (12-600 microliters) decreased the minimal tumor-appearance time by about 250 days.

Animals↗

Estimation of age-dependent internal dose from radiopharmaceuticals.

The age-dependence of the radiation dose absorbed in a target organ or the total body is determined by the mass, size, shape and separation of the organs as well as by the metabolic behaviour of the radionuclide compound. Using values of the specific absorbed dose for adults, the age-dependent effective dose equivalents for 28 radiopharmaceuticals (62 radionuclides) were calculated by modifying the above mentioned values, considering radiation type, organ mass and source-target separation. From the results, the currently used mathematical models for the modification of values of specific absorbed doses in the adult prove to be of sufficient accuracy. In comparison with the few available values calculated by Monte Carlo-techniques, our method overestimates the specific absorbed fractions by a factor of four in the least favourable case. For practical radionuclide dose estimates, these deviations are of minor importance as long as the availability of reliable information on the metabolic behaviour of radionuclide compounds and radiopharmaceuticals as a function of age is extremely limited. Considering, however, both the parenteral administration and the short half-life of radionuclides used in paediatric nuclear medicine, this uncertainty in regard to the gastrointestinal absorption and the biological half-lives is of little consequence for the results of absorbed dose calculations.

Adolescent↗